[sydtheeagle]

For the record, it's just been announced that Man Ure legend George Best is presently undergoing liver transplant surgery in London. The 16-hour operation will be completed late tonight. There is no announced prognosis.

I'm sure we -- especially those of us lucky enough to have seen him play -- wish him the very best.

Syd

[usscouse]

I saw the news on Sky Sports tonight, “They” say he’s coming on fine and expected to make a full recovery. Georgie was fun to watch as a player, he was also fun to have a drink with, in his pub in LA.

Best of luck to him.

You are who you pretend to be.
Kurt Vonegut Jnr.

[Motterman]

We all know about George's history, but I thought that this should be pointed out about the transplant:

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_...766757,00.html

Best was placed on the NHS transplant waiting list nine months ago. "He chose not to go private and jump the queue and that's why he waited so long," his agent Phil Hughes said.

[delo_pata]

The agent chose his words badly. Private patients in the UK cannot "jump the cue" [implicitly over NHS patients] for a transplant. There may be other advantage of going private over NHS, but not with respect to the wait time for an organ.

[Motterman]

That may be true, but I think that the point is more that he didn't attempt to use his influence to get an organ faster than another deserving person. It may be harder to do in the UK to do this, but not in America and other parts of the world, sadly.

[delo_pata]

Um, no, that's not true in the US or in the UK. I've worked for many years in the transplant field in the US and while there certainly are flaws in the system at the "front end" (i.e., where the person is initially listed), it is impossible to manipulate the system once you are listed.

[Boro_lad]

although i hope the man is ok....does he deserve the liver??...he is an alcoholic and has been warned for years in his life that he needs to stop or his liver will pack in...did he?...while others on the list may have problems with thier liver which they had no control over....they should have more priority.

[Motterman]

Originally posted by delo_pata
Um, no, that's not true in the US or in the UK. I've worked for many years in the transplant field in the US and while there certainly are flaws in the system at the "front end" (i.e., where the person is initially listed), it is impossible to manipulate the system once you are listed.

Are you saying that if you have money and influence, that's it's unlikely you could get an organ transplant sooner than somebody who is not?

I find that hard to believe personally. Look at the U.S. criminal justice system as just one example.

[Motterman]

Originally posted by Boro_lad
although i hope the man is ok....does he deserve the liver??...he is an alcoholic and has been warned for years in his life that he needs to stop or his liver will pack in...did he?...while others on the list may have problems with thier liver which they had no control over....they should have more priority.

He deserves the liver as he is a sick human being. And if you take your argument out to it's logical conclusion about who deserves what first, it gets very messy indeed. Can't worry about AIDS, must work on MS first. Can't worry about cancer, must work on West Nile Virus first. After all, most AIDS and cancer patients continued behaviours (unsafe sex, smoking, etc.) they were warned about....

[sydtheeagle]

Originally posted by Boro_lad
although i hope the man is ok....does he deserve the liver??...he is an alcoholic and has been warned for years in his life that he needs to stop or his liver will pack in...did he?...while others on the list may have problems with thier liver which they had no control over....they should have more priority.

If you're a doctor, then he deserves it. Doctors treat illnesses, full stop. As the t-shirt used to say (and probably still does), "Fight AIDS, not people with AIDS". If there's even a hint of prejudice in your post (and I'm not saying there is), then please take it somewhere else.